At the financial blog The Simple Dollar they've assembled a list of ten unusual ways to improve your confidence. Among them? Improving your posture with that old DIY standby, duct tape. Photo by Foxtongue.

They note that other kinds of tape can work too, but why use a tape of lesser renown when you can use duct tape for the project? Here are their instructions for the duct tape posture trick:

Stand up as straight as you can, with your back vertical and your arms at your sides, relaxed. Then, have a friend take a strip of duct tape and run a three inch strip down your back. The top of it should be on the center of one of your shoulder blades and end three inches below it. Then, that person should put a second strip, starting at the center of your other shoulder blade and going straight down for three inches. Take a third strip and apply it horizontally, connecting the tops of the strips, then a fourth strip connecting the bottoms of the vertical strips. You should have a rectangle on your back, nearly square in shape.

Here's the thing. As you go through your day, every time you attempt to slouch, that tape will tug at your skin, resisting a poor change in posture. It's not painful (unless you have excessive hair back there), but it is enough of a physical reminder to cause you to naturally keep a good posture.

Not sure if duct taping your back is the unusual solution you're looking for? Check out the full article for other tricks like picking an eye level spot on the wall to tame a wandering gaze and why you should always keep a flask with you. If you have your own unusual way to improve your posture, confidence, or both, sound off in the comments below.